Wind Power Renewable Energy *

Wind Power Renewable Energy *

The facts about residential wind power
Is there a future for wind power?
Wind power advantages
The disadvantages of wind power
Dispelling 5 wind power myths

The main renewable energy resources that you know about are sunlight (solar energy) and wind energy and perhaps to a lesser extent tidal energy systems and geothermal energy systems. All of these are in some way or another connected to the sun, which is the ultimate life giver on this planet.

The Earth-Atmosphere system is in equilibrium such that heat radiation into space is equal to incoming solar radiation, the resulting level of energy within the Earth-Atmosphere system can roughly be described as the Earth's "climate." The hydrosphere (water) absorbs a major fraction of the incoming radiation. Most radiation is absorbed at low latitudes around the equator, but this energy is dissipated around the globe in the form of winds and ocean currents.

Wave motion may play a role in the process of transferring mechanical energy between the atmosphere and the ocean through wind stress. Solar energy is also responsible for the distribution of precipitation which is tapped by hydroelectric projects, and for the growth of plants used to create biofuels.

The IEA explains it like this:  "Renewable energy is derived from natural processes that are replenished constantly. In its various forms, it derives directly from the sun, or from heat generated deep within the earth. Included in the definition is electricity and heat generated from solar, wind, ocean, hydropower, biomass, geothermal resources, and biofuels and hydrogen derived from renewable resources."

* Let's first examine wind power as a source of green alternative energy.

A wind turbine needs air, lots of it. A modern wind turbine ranges from 600 KW to 5 MW of rated power, although for commercial use the output range is typically 1.5-3 MW.

Since wind speed is not constant, a wind farm's annual energy production is never as much as the sum of the generator nameplate ratings multiplied by the total hours in a year. The ratio of actual productivity in a year to this theoretical maximum is called the capacity factor. Typical capacity factors are 20-40%, with values at the upper end of the range in particularly favourable sites. For example, a 1 megawatt turbine with a capacity factor of 35% will not produce 8,760 megawatt-hours in a year, but only 0.35x24x365 = 3,066 MWh, averaging to 0.35 MW. Online data is available for some locations and the capacity factor can be calculated from the yearly output.

Globally, the long-term technical potential of wind energy is believed to be five times total current global energy production, or 40 times current electricity demand. This could require large amounts of land to be used for wind turbines, particularly in areas of higher wind resources. Offshore resources experience mean wind speeds of ~90% greater than that of land, so offshore resources could contribute substantially more energy. This number could also increase with higher altitude ground-based or airborne wind turbines.

Wind power is renewable and produces no greenhouse gases during operation, such as carbon dioxide and methane.

Wind Power Market

At the end of 2008, worldwide wind farm capacity was 120,791 megawatts (MW), representing an increase of 28.8 percent during the year, and wind power produced some 1.3% of global electricity consumption. Wind power accounts for approximately 19% of electricity use in Denmark, 9% in Spain and Portugal, and 6% in Germany and the Republic of Ireland. The United States is an important growth area and installed U.S. wind power capacity reached 25,170 MW at the end of 2008.

Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, in Texas, is the world's largest wind farm at 735.5 MW capacity. It consists of 291 GE Energy 1.5 MW wind turbines and 130 Siemens 2.3 MW wind turbines. A proposed 4,000 MW facility, called the Pampa Wind Project, is to be located near Pampa, Texas.

In the UK, a licence to build the world's largest offshore windfarm, in the Thames estuary, has been granted. The London Array Windfarm, 20 km off Kent and Essex, should eventually consist of 341 turbines, occupying an area of 230 km². This is a £1.5 billion, 1,000 megawatt project, which will power one-third of London homes. The windfarm will produce an amount of energy that, if generated by conventional means, would result in 1.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year. It could also make up to 10% of the Government's 2010 renewables target.

Wind Farms

Wind power is one of the most environmentally friendly sources of renewable energy

A wind farm, when installed on agricultural land, has one of the lowest environmental impacts of all energy sources:

* It occupies less land area per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity generated than any other energy conversion system, apart from   rooftop solar energy, and is compatible with grazing and crops.
* It generates the energy used in its construction in just 3 months of operation, yet its operational lifetime is 20–25 years.
* Greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution produced by its construction are low and declining. There are no emissions or pollution produced by its operation.
* In substituting for base-load coal power, wind power produces a net decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, and a net increase in biodiversity.
* Modern wind turbines are almost silent and rotate so slowly (in terms of revolutions per minute) that they are rarely a hazard to birds.

Studies of birds and offshore wind farms in Europe have found that there are very few bird collisions. Several offshore wind sites in Europe have been in areas heavily used by seabirds. Improvements in wind turbine design, including a much slower rate of rotation of the blades and a smooth tower base instead of perchable lattice towers, have helped reduce bird mortality at wind farms around the world. However older smaller wind turbines may be hazardous to flying birds. Birds are severely impacted by fossil fuel energy; examples include birds dying from exposure to oil spills, habitat loss from acid rain and mountaintop removal coal mining, and mercury poisoning.

What is wind power and how does it work?
The facts about residential wind power
Is there a future for wind power?
Wind power advantages
The disadvantages of wind power
Dispelling 5 wind power myths

Solar Energy

What is Solar Power?

Pros and cons of solar energy
How Costly is a Solar Power System
Top 5 Reasons to Use Solar Power
Does solar power have a future?
Solar Energy News

What is Solar Power?

The sun is the focal point of our solar system, and provides heat and light to all the planets revolving around it in the form of radiation. The infra red heat rays of the sun are incident on the earth’s surface during the day time. There is a high potential in these incident rays. This potential is harnessed by man in the form of power called the solar power.

Solar power is being used by us in two different forms

1. thermal energy
2. solar electric energy

The thermal energy of the sun is directly used for heating purposes. The application of this can be seen in heating water of swimming pools, either directly during sunny days or indirectly using heat conducting fluids in pipes and transferring the heat to the water in the swimming pool during cloudy days. Thermal energy is also used directly in drying clothes, drying seeds and other food products to keep them from pest attack and improve their shelf life. We also use thermal power for plant growth. Direct heat is also used in cooking food, as in solar cookers. Here a series of heat absorbing black coloured panel is used to absorb rays falling on it. This is reflected on the cooking vessel by a mirror there by  maximising the effect of heat falling on it, solar water heaters also work in a similar fashion but do not have mirrors attached to them.

The energy got from the sun can also be used to produce electricity. This is called the solar electric energy. This energy is harness by using solar panels which in turn are connected to grids that carry the electricity. The electricity producing power of solar energy is called Photovoltis.

Solar electricity can be produced in three different ways.

1. Stand alone system – here panels are set up to absorb the incident solar radiation. This is then converted to electricity. The electricity is not being stored and is rather used directly without the help of a grid. Such systems are useful in situations like that of a lone forest guest house where difficulty may be faced in laying electricity lines. Here the cost of installing solar power panel might work out to be cheaper than laying power lines.

2. Grid connected system – such system is commonly used in houses for use in various small household electrical appliances. Here the produced energy is saved in a grid which can be used later. This helps in a continuous supply of power and can be reliable, and regular use is possible in such a system.

3. Back up system – in situations where the power grid may be unreliable a back up is used. The reason to use backup may be due to frequent power failures. In such conditions, most of the household appliances are connected to the backup system, if there is a power failure they take up energy from the solar batteries. This can also be used in community lighting and other larger power requirement can be fulfilled.

Pros and cons of solar energy
Pros and cons of solar energy

As all other energy sources solar energy also has its own pros and cons. The various pros of solar energy are as given below:

• Pollution free – The most important advantage is that it does not produce any harmful gases or effluents during power production. This is important in current context of growing importance of ozone layer depletion and global warming etc.
• Renewable source of energy – solar energy is the harnessing of energy received from the sun, thus it is renewable, and does not get over when used, unlike other fossil fuels which become lesser and lesser over time and becomes extinct completely.
• Energy can be harnessed in remote areas – The best feature of solar energy is that it can be harnessed in very remote areas, where every other form of energy production is risky or not possible at all. An example of this is the production of electricity in satellites.
• Does not require special area/place to install – Installation of solar panels does not require special or large areas, the panels can be installed in the roof tops of buildings.
• Free source to produce energy – Solar energy need not be bought, it is free of cost. The installation process is the only stage where money is spent.
• Dependence on fossil fuel is reduced – the emergence of solar energy has reduced the high dependence on the fossil fuels which is becoming very costly.
• Reduces health costs – increased use of solar energy reduces the cost spent on health indirectly because there is no emissions like carbon, sulphur di oxide, etc and also acid rains.
• Independent working – once installed the solar panels work on their own and do not require any manual operation.
• Low to no maintenance – maintenance cost of solar panels is meagre. Sometimes no maintenance is required.

Pros and cons of solar energy
How Costly is a Solar Power System
Top 5 Reasons to Use Solar Power
Does solar power have a future?
Solar Energy News

Pros and Cons of Solar Energy

As all other energy sources solar energy also has its own pros and cons.

The various pros of solar energy are as given below:

• Pollution free – The most important advantage is that it does not produce any harmful gases or effluents during power production. This is important in current context of growing importance of ozone layer depletion and global warming etc.

• Renewable source of energy – solar energy is the harnessing of energy received from the sun, thus it is renewable, and does not get over when used, unlike other fossil fuels which become lesser and lesser over time and becomes extinct completely.

• Energy can be harnessed in remote areas – The best feature of solar energy is that it can be harnessed in very remote areas, where every other form of energy production is risky or not possible at all. An example of this is the production of electricity in satellites.

• Does not require special area/place to install – Installation of solar panels does not require special or large areas, the panels can be installed in the roof tops of buildings.

• Free source to produce energy – Solar energy need not be bought, it is free of cost. The installation process is the only stage where money is spent.

• Dependence on fossil fuel is reduced – the emergence of solar energy has reduced the high dependence on the fossil fuels which is becoming very costly.

• Reduces health costs – increased use of solar energy reduces the cost spent on health indirectly because there is no emissions like carbon, sulphur di oxide, etc and also acid rains.

• Independent working – once installed the solar panels work on their own and do not require any manual operation.

• Low to no maintenance – maintenance cost of solar panels is meagre. Sometimes no maintenance is required.

The cons of solar energy are given below

• Initial cost – the cost of installing solar panels on houses is very high. It is sometimes of the tune of $10000 or above for good efficient cells. This makes it to be looked upon in a disadvantageous position when compared to coal and other conventional power production methods.

• Time of production – energy is produced only when suns heat is available i.e., during the day, also during cloudy days the production of power is very low on nil during nights.

• Weather dependent – during rainy and winter seasons the production of power is very less. This creates problem in areas where the seasonal changes are pronounced, making the cost of installation a waste.

• Effect of pollution – in locations where the air is polluted power production is seen to be reduced because the efficiency of solar cell becomes less.

Green Business Ideas

1) Build wind / solar power systems for people

Make solar power and wind power at home. You can offer this service to other people, and help them reduce their electricity bill. The earth4energy guide teaches you how to make a power producing solar panels and reduce your electricity bill.  Here's the guide.

2) Weatherize Homes and Businesses

You Can Make $1000 a week providing a very helpful and necessary service by weatherizing people's homes. Here is the 'how-to' guide, and here is a green product supplier for you.

3) Broker carbon credits and help individuals/companies reduce their carbon footprint

This is the fastest-growing financial specialties market in the world according to the New York Times. You can learn how to do it here.

4) Install geothermal heat pumps

Geothermal heating and cooling technology provides exceptional performance. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agrees that a geothermal heat pump is the most energy-efficient, clean, and cost-effective space conditioning available. Learn how to install geothermal heat pumps here.

5) Recondition batteries

Start a business reconditioning Ni-Cd and NiMh batteries. Learn how here.

6) Build solar power water heaters

Solar hot water systems produce clean, non-polluting energy. A single hot water system can offset the equivalent of approximately 40% of the carbon dioxide emissions of a modern passenger car. They are safe for our environment, safe for plants, safe for animals and safe for all of us. Learn how to do this here.

7) Eco-Friendly house cleaning

Start a house cleaning service where you use eco-friendly cleaning products, and non-toxic housecleaning supplies.Here's a good article on some great eco-friendly house cleaning tips.

8) Brew biodiesel fuel

Watch this video how this process works.

9) Start a cell phone / PDA recycling business

Learn how to start a cell phone / pda recycling business here.

10) Start a paper recycling business

Some paper recyclers earn over $100,000 / year. Here's an article that explains more about this business opportunity.

11) Start a "Wet-Clean" Dry Cleaning Service

People are used to sending their clothes to dry cleaners, but most dry cleaning facilities are very harmful to the environment. People will drive out of their way to find an eco-friendly dry cleaning service. Here is an interesting study on this service.

12) Start an online business selling a green products

You can start an online business selling green products. By using a company like Doba, you don't need to carry your own inventory or ship out the products. Doba carries over 1 million brand name products from different wholesalers, who will drop ship for you. Doba has a 10 day free trial where you can check out their available products. You can learn more about here.

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Promote Your Green Business on the Internet
Create a Website for your Green Business

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Nuclear Power

Controversy Over Nuclear Power as a Renewable Energy Source

In 1983, physicist Bernard Cohen proposed that uranium is effectively inexhaustible, and could therefore be considered a renewable source of energy. He claimed that fast breeder reactors, fueled by uranium extracted from seawater, could supply energy at least as long as the sun's expected remaining lifespan of five billion years. Nuclear energy has also been referred to as "renewable" by the politicians George W. Bush, Charlie Crist, and David Sainsbury.

Inclusion under the "renewable energy" classification could render nuclear power projects eligible for Read more

Diversification Plus

Diversification

The U.S. electric power industry now relies on large, central power stations, including coal, natural gas, nuclear, and hydropower plants that together generate more than 95% of the nation’s electricity. Over the next few decades uses of renewable energy could help to diversify the nation’s bulk power supply. Already, appropriate renewable resources (which excludes large hydropower) produce 12% of northern California’s electricity.

Although most of today’s electricity comes from large, central-station power plants, new technologies offer a Read more

Green Energy Trends

Trends With Renewable Energy

The renewable market will boom when cost efficiency attains parity with other competing energy sources. The following trends are a few examples by which the renewables market is being helped to attain critical mass so that it becomes competitive enough vs fossil fuels:

Other than market forces, renewable industry often needs government sponsorship to help generate enough momentum in the market. Many countries and states have implemented incentives — like government tax subsidies, partial copayment schemes and various rebates over purchase of renewables - to encourage consumers to shift to renewable energy sources. Government grants fund for research in renewable technology to make the production cheaper and generation more efficient.

Development of loan programs that stimulate renewable favoring market forces with attractive return rates, buffer initial deployment costs and entice consumers to consider and purchase renewable technology. A famous example is the Read more

Green Energy Market

Renewable energy can be particularly suitable for developing countries. In rural and remote areas, transmission and distribution of energy generated from fossil fuels can be difficult and expensive. Producing renewable energy locally can offer a viable alternative.

Renewable energy projects in many developing countries have demonstrated that renewable energy can directly contribute to poverty alleviation by providing the energy needed for creating businesses and employment. Renewable energy technologies can also make indirect contributions to alleviating poverty by Read more

Geothermal Energy

What is GeoThermal Energy
What is Good and Bad about Geothermal Energy?
Watch a video on the Geothermal process
Geothermal Energy-Is it costly?
Using geothermal energy for your home
Does geothermal energy have a future?

Geothermal energy is energy obtained by tapping the heat of the earth itself, usually from kilometers deep into the Earth's crust. It is expensive to build a power station but operating costs are low resulting in low energy costs for suitable sites. Ultimately, this energy derives from heat in the Earth's core.

Three types of power plants are used to generate power from geothermal energy: dry steam, flash, and binary. Dry steam plants take steam out of fractures in the ground and use it to directly drive a turbine that spins a generator. Flash plants take hot water, usually at temperatures over 200 °C, out of the ground, and allows it to boil as it rises to the surface then separates the steam phase in steam/water separators and then runs the steam through a turbine. In binary plants, the hot water flows through heat exchangers, boiling an organic fluid that spins the turbine.  The condensed steam and remaining geothermal fluid from all three types of plants are injected back into the hot rock to pick up more heat.

The geothermal energy from the core of the Earth is closer to the surface in some areas than in others. Where hot underground steam or water can be tapped and brought to the surface it may be used to generate electricity. Such geothermal power sources exist in certain geologically unstable parts of the world such as Chile, Iceland, New Zealand, United States, the Philippines and Italy. The two most prominent areas for this in the United States are in the Yellowstone basin and in northern California. Iceland produced 170 MW geothermal power and heated 86% of all houses in the year 2000 through geothermal energy. Some 8000 MW of capacity is operational in total.

There is also the potential to generate geothermal energy from hot dry rocks. Holes at least 3 km deep are drilled into the earth. Some of these holes pump water into the earth, while other holes pump hot water out. The heat resource consists of hot underground radiogenic granite rocks, which heat up when there is enough sediment between the rock and the earths surface. Several companies in Australia are exploring this technology.

Geothermal Energy Prospects

The Geysers, is a geothermal power field located 72 miles (116 km) north of San Francisco, California. It is the largest geothermal development in the world outputting over 750 MW.

By the end of 2005 worldwide use of geothermal energy for electricity had reached 9.3 GWs, with an additional 28 GW used directly for heating. If heat recovered by ground source heat pumps is included, the non-electric use of geothermal energy is estimated at more than 100 GWt (gigawatts of thermal power) and is used commercially in over 70 countries. During 2005 contracts were placed for an additional 0.5 GW of capacity in the United States, while there were also plants under construction in 11 other countries.

What is Biomass?

Using Biomass At Home
The Pros and Cons of using Biomass
Video on Biomass Technologies

Is Bioethanol all it’s cracked up to be?
4 Reasons why you should use biodiesel
Fuel from Cooking Oil, Are you Serious?

What is Biomass?

Human beings began the use of biomass for energy when our ancestors have learned about fire and how to use it particularly in cooking food.  Biomass is any natural thing that has been grown or has lived, excluding fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas and many more.  Biomass can be in the form of wood, straw, biological wastes, waste paper, organic wastes from food processing, livestock farming and so many others.  Biomass can be utilized to produce energy.  These can be burned, agitated and absorbed to provide energy.  All of these contain solar energy which combined into their carbon chemistry while they were still living.  And that energy can be liberated for human beings’ use without adding up to the carbon dioxide burden (global warming problem) on our planet as long as we continuously plant, breed, and grow sources of biological mass or biomass.

Moreover, biomass can be grown as a crop for fuel use.   If it has to be grown, it needs to be able to grow fast with little watering or fertilizer requirement and it has to be of high calorific value.  However, it is not a wise idea to rely from these sources to produce biomass for fuel use because most lands are used for food productions. An increase in biomass production will mean decrease in food production. There has to be some other sources where we can obtain biological mass.   Biomass can come in the form of biological wastes.  Since the whole world produces so many wastes which we even finding it hard to properly dispose off, why not use it for fuel use to make it useful.

Nowadays, people are being trained to separate their wastes into biodegradable and non-biodegradable.  Biomass can be segregated at source by the public by disseminating information through several mediums such as advertisements in televisions, announcements in newspapers and the like.  Garbage collections have now a separate collection for biological wastes, including food wastes.  Food wastes have the highest heat produce when burnt or digested, and they comprise between 15% and 25% of all household (domestic) waste by weight.

Unlike using fossil fuels to produce energy, biomass is a much less harmful to mankind and to our precious earth. Even if biomass fuels are readily available, people all over the world are hesitant to use it especially that most of it came from the biological wastes of the whole world.  They feel that it is not safe for mankind and the earth. They may have adverse effects on our environment but if we will compare it with massive use of fossil fuels, the adverse effects of using biomass fuel are much less than that of using fossil fuels.

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